Paganism in Beowulf: Examples & Analysis

Unferth A Danish warrior who would have the legitimate duty to fight Grendel on behalf of his kind. Beowulf of the Danes keeps his men faithful by paying them treasures; later in the poem, even treasure will not keep Beowulf of the Geats' men from leaving him to fight alone. He also improvises a song celebrating the victory of Beowulf. Many critics have seen the poem as a Christian , with Beowulf the champion of goodness and light against the forces of evil and darkness. The half-lines are joined by the oral stressing of alliterative words in the half-lines, both consonants and vowels Tharaud 34.

Beowulf

Analysis The beginning of Beowulf serves to highlight both the Heroic Code and the society these warriors lived in. Beowulf gives his life for his people, thus being celebrated for years to come. When they see the dragon, all but one of the warriors flee in terror. The poem opens with a brief genealogy of the Scylding Dane royal dynasty, named after a mythic hero, Scyld Scefing, who reached the tribe's shores as a castaway babe on a ship loaded with treasure. Most people know that the poem documents the struggle of the title character in vanquishing a monster named Grendel.

Beowulf Part 1: Summary & Analysis

This is one of the poem's best known kennings, descriptive metaphors that identify a person or thing by a chief characteristic or use. Beowulf is the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. But Beowulf is as strong as thirty men and tears off Grendel's arm. He grabs at the next person, and finds himself face-to-face with Beowulf. Just like Beowulf, Grendel also has a Christian context. However, when constructing the idealistic leader in the story of Beowulf, the contrasting relationship between humans and nature plays a pivotal role in the development of Beowulf. Grendel is an alienated individual… 910 Words 4 Pages Social Codes in Beowulf In reading Beowulf, one cannot help noticing the abundance of references to weapons and armor throughout the text.

What Happens in Beowulf? An Interesting Summary

His boasts are all backed up, proving he's indeed a hero. But because the specific details of the story are not widely known, numerous misconceptions about the poem abound. The poem ends with his funeral rites and a lament. Beowulf was definite on the losing end at that moment, since his sword, Hrunting, lost its powers and cannot harm the creature he is up against with. Due to the apparent shortage of credible primary sources pertaining to the time in question, it becomes ever more clear why this sole thread of Anglo-Saxon literature is so heavily investigated by those in the field. After Beowulf's death, the Geats build an enormous funeral pyre for him, heaped with treasures. His generosity often is mentioned as one of his strengths of character.

Beowulf Literary Analysis Essay free essay sample

While one of the oldest literary works known to date, it has been argued that tribes such as the Anglo-Saxons can be considered barbaric, largely because of the numerous wars occurring in and around this time. The final encounter, with the dragon years later, will prove the most difficult of all — and although he is successful and overcomes the monster, he will pay the ultimate price: victory will come at the cost of his own life. Beowulf returns to the lake's surface carrying the head and hilt but leaving the treasure. He asks Beowulf loudly if he is the same Beowulf who lost a swimming race against a man named Breca. When Grendel came into Heorot, chaos caused destruction, thus it would require reconstruction, where after reconstruction was the cleansed state. After this, Beowulf is crowned king.

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Twelve years pass, and scops sing the misery of Hrothgar across the seas. The Geats try to stab him with their swords but they are unsuccessful in wounding him. The Arthurian story was passed down for generations, but Beowulf and his bravery forgotten. He reigns for 50 years. Suddenly Beowulf spots a magical, giant sword and uses it to cut through the mother's spine at the neck, killing her. Dying, Beowulf leaves his kingdom to Wiglaf and requests that his body be cremated in a funeral pyre and buried high on a seaside cliff where passing sailors might see the barrow. Beowulf returns to the surface with the head and the hilt, but he leaves the treasure.

Literary Analysis of the poem “Beowulf”

Beowulf announces that he'll kill the monster that night, and that he won't use weapons. Hrothgar is the aging king of the Danes. It is a place of light and warmth in the dark, cold winters. Thus, Beowulf dies with the honor and glory befitting a king. Beowulf grabs him by the claw and Grendel is helpless. And it was with that word that He was able to create day and night, and everything that he wished and commanded. He has lived with military victory and led his people to a time of peace.

Beowulf Analysis Sample: Structure and Function

Mortally wounded, Grendel flees into the wilderness and dies. Use examples from text to support your points. Near the bottom of the lake, Grendel's mother attacks and hauls the Geat warrior to her dimly lit cave. The ensuing battle nearly destroys the great hall, but Beowulf emerges victorious as he rips Grendel's claw from its shoulder socket, sending the mortally wounded beast fleeing to his mere pool. The creation of the hall was because of the word of the king.

SparkNotes: Beowulf: Plot Overview

Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and treasure at a feast in his honor. The two men fight and kill the dragon but not before Beowulf is mortally wounded. Some of the more interesting ones include the belief in wyrd, or fate; the use of special swords, such as Beowulf's Hrunting; the practices of ship burial and cremation, like that of King Scyld; and ritualized sacrifice, or special offerings that can take on many forms, as seen with the gift-giving of the kings of the Danes and thanes. He asks how someone who loses a race can hope to defeat a monster. That night, after the Danes retire to their sleeping quarters, Beowulf and his men lay in for the night in the mead-hall to await the raid from Grendel.